Fluid cooling devices for fluid couplings



Jan. 22, 1963 J. E. BECKER 3,074,234

FLUID COOLING DEVICES FOR FLUID COUPLINGS Filed Dec. 12. 1960 INVENTOR 4 JOHN E. BECKER avi n M1 5 6X01! ATTOR N EY United rates Patent 3,074,234 FLUID CGOLING DEVICES FOR FLUID COUPLINGS John E. Becker, RR. 3, Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada Filed Dec. 12, 1960, Ser. No. 75,242 1 Claim. (Cl. 60-54) This invention relates to fluid couplings of the type wherein power is transmitted by fluid from a driving vaned pump or impeller member to a driven vaned turbine member and the object of the invention is to provide an arrangement for cooling the fluid in the coupling.

In fluid couplings without provision for cooling fluid in the coupling an undesirable heat condition frequently arises when such a coupling is overloaded under stall load and also during periods when the coupling drive is frequently disengaged and started. Fluid cooling can be accomplished by constantly removing fluid from the coupling and circulating it through a heat exchanger and back to the coupling, which, however, is a complicated arrangement.

A particular object of this invention is to provide a fluid cooling arrangement wherein the fluid is cooled in its circulation within the coupling by constantly bypassing a portion of the fluid flow through a passage or passages incorporated within the shell of the coupling, the outer face of the shell carrying a plurality of heat dissipating fins which rotate therewith and act as a blower supplying an adequate volume of fluid cooling air at high velocity.

A further object of the invention is to shroud the flns and thus produce a centrifugal vane cooling blower.

A still further object of the invention is to provide fluid cooling by-pass passage spaces which are in communication with the coupling and formed between the impeller and turbine members and the shell, by-passed fluid constantly leaving the coupling to flow through the passage spaces around the coupling before re-entry thereinto.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, as shall appear, the invention consists of a fluid coupling having fluid cooling passages and heat dissipating fins arranged and constructed all as hereinafter more particularly described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view through a portion of a fluid coupling following standard power transmission practice and in which one arrangement of fluid by-pass passages and heat dissipating fins is incorporated.

FIG. 2 is a similar view to FIG. 1, and showing a modified arrangement of fluid by-pass passages.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the coupling impeller member 2 and turbine member 3 contain a plurality of usual radially arranged vanes A and B and are secured upon driving and driven shafts 4 and 5. The members are of semi-toroidal form, the impeller member being secured within a toroidal shell 6 which rotates therewith and the turbine member housed within the shell to rotate independently thereof, following general standard practice. The shell 6 carries two sets of heat dissipating fins 7 and 8 which protrude radially and are positioned therearound in spaced apart relationship extending transversely of the path of rotation of the shell, the sets of fins carrying shrouds 9 and 10 of semi-toroidal form and which are mounted upon the outer edges of the fins.

Referring to FIG. 1, the turbine member 3 is spaced inwardly of the shell 6 to provide a by-pass fluid passage space 12 formed between the outer face of the turbine member and the inner face of the shell, a portion of the fluid flowing in a clockwise direction in the coupling, as indicated by the arrow, entering the gap 13 between 3,074,234 Patented Jan. 22, 1963 the impeller and turbine to travel through the passage space 12 and re-enter the coupling through a series of ports 14 located in the wall of the turbine member in the spaces between its vanes B.

As the shrouded vanes 7 and 8 rotate with the shell 6' around the axis of the coupling a centrifugal vane cooling blower is provided wherein air is drawn into the spaces between the vanes through the openings 15 and ejected through the opennigs 16 at the periphery of the coupling; the vanes 6 cooling fluid by-passed through the passage 12 and the vanes 7 cooling fluid in the pump member 2.

FIG. 2 illustrates a modification wherein the impeller 2 and turbine 3 are contained within and spaced away from a shell 26 following the contour of the impeller and turbine, the shell being secured to the driving shaft 4 to rotate in unison with the impeller and carrying the heat dissipating fins 7 and 8 and shrouds 9 and It). By this arrangement by-passed fluid enters the passage space 12 between the turbine and shell 26 through the gap 13 and also enters the passage space 17 between the impeller and shell through a plurality of ports 18 in similar arrangement to the ports 14, the by-passed fluid re-entering the coupling through the ports 14.

From the foregoing disclosure it will be seen that a very eflicient fluid cooling arrangement is provided without unduly complicating fluid coupling design or impairing its efficiency, it being understood that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

in a fluid coupling comprising an impeller member housed within one side portion of a toroidal impeller shell encasing the coupling and rotatable therewith and a turbine member housed within a semi-toroidal shell rotatable therewith and contained within the other side portion of the toroidal impeller shell, the semi-toroidal shell being in spaced relation to the portion of the toroidal shell within which it is contained to provide a bypass fluid passage; means for continuously cooling fluid circulating between the impeller member and the turbine member and comprising a gap formed between the maximum diameter portion of the turbine member and the maximum diameter portion of the impeller member to provide a fluid entry from the impeller shell into the by-pass fluid passage, a series of ports opening from the by-pass fluid passage into the minimum diameter portion of the semi-toroidal shell and through which the bypassed stream of fluid is ejected into the coupling, heat dissipating fins carried upon the portion of the toroidal impeller shell in which the turbine semi-toroidal shell is contained, the impeller member being contained within a semi-toroidal shell housed within the impeller containing side portion of the toroidal shell in spaced relation thereto to provide a second by-pass fluid passage in communication with the other by-pass fluid passage and also with the gap between the turbine member and the impeller member, a series of ports in the minimum diameter portion of the semi-toroidal shell housing the impeller member and opening into the second by-pass fluid passage and through which fluid is ejected into the second by-pass fluid passage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,340,494 Smirl Feb. 1, 1944 2,457,692 La Brie Dec. 28, 1948 2,616,260 Thurber Nov. 4, 1952 2,717,673 Zeidler Sept. 13, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 694,856 Germany Aug. 9, 1940 

